two hours earlier.
"It's good to have you back, 692" spoke one of the transgenics
"Yeah" the other one commented. "Max'll be real happy. We thought you were all dead" Shay's heart sank. No-one else had gotten out but Max? man, it was worse than he thought. He pulled the brim of his cap down lower over his eyes.
"Tell me something" he asked quietly. "Did the mission succeed? Did Max get the virus out?"
"Yeah" the first guy nodded. "It's not going to be an issue. Listen, you better go find her, let her know you're okay."
Shay nodded. He really did want to see Max, but. "Where is she? Any idea?"
"Probably at HQ. She's starting to put together a transgenic army"
"Why? What does she need an army for?"
"Revenge" put in the second one, grinning. "She's pretty pissed off with the familiars after that mission. Think she wants to end the problem, and fast."
Shay nodded. "Listen, I've got some stuff to do, then I'll go check in with Max."
the guards nodded.
He walked away, feeling complete and utter desperation. Max was the only one who had gotten out? The others were all dead? Storm, Tim, Ray? Alec? God, it just wasn't worth thinking about. He walked through TC, trying to imagine the place without his friends. No Storm and Tim to mess around with, play-fight in the carpark. No Alec. Shay walked to Alec's apartment without realising it, then he shrugged, and climbed the steps to his friend's old apartment.
Alec left HQ , his head spinning. Things just kept going wrong. Everything was such a mess. He'd give anything to find his friends, do anything. it wasn't that he was being selfish, not wanting Max to talk to Logan. It was more that he just didn't trust him. as bad as things seemed right now, they could get worse. Far worse. Logan could, and would, betray them at the first opportunity. As bad as it would be to lose Shay and Tim, it would be far worse to see Freak Nation destroyed around him.
"Hey, Alec" Alec looked up and smiled vaguely at the guy talking to him. he looked sort of familiar. He was carrying a rifle, which meant that he had been pulling guard duty.
"Good night?" he asked him.
"Yeah, pretty quiet." The guard replied. "Hey, its great to have Shay back, huh?"
"What??" Alec grabbed him. "What did you say?'
"Shay. He came back a few hours ago. Jumped the fence. Haven't you seen him yet?"
"No. are you sure it was Shay?" Alec felt his heart start to race.
"Yeah, of course."
"Well, what did he say? Was he okay?"
"he said he had some stuff to take care of, then he was going to HQ"
Alec grinned. "Tell Max, okay?" He tapped him on the shoulder to thank him and turned away. Shay was okay. Something was finally going right.
He walked quickly, almost running, to the building Shay had been staying in, going via the parking lot in case he was there. Shay wasn't in his apartment. Where else would he be? Alec's own apartment, maybe, or Storm's? he might have gone there to find them, particularly at 3am. Of course that's what he would have done. If it was Alec, the first thing he would do would be to check on his friends.
"Shay?" Alec called as he entered his apartment. He caught sight of Shay standing by the window, looking out over the city.
When he heard his name, Shay turned, stunned. "I thought. I thought you were dead" Shay spoke quietly. The last time he had seen him he was lying on the ground, bleeding, and not moving. He had looked dead.
"Yeah, same here. I thought the same thing." Alec crossed the room to stand in front of Shay, putting his hand on Shay's shoulder. "You okay?" he asked him, even as he looked him over, checking for injuries
Shay nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. You?"
"Always" Alec grinned at him. "I still want Neil to check you out though, okay?"
"fine, but I'm okay. Tell me about the others, what happened?"
"Later. We'll need a full debrief. You're really okay?"
"the guards, I thought they said that everyone had died, except Max."
Alec sighed. "We lost Tim, and Ray. We'll do this later, okay?"
Shay nodded. "Come on" Alec told him, putting his arm around his shoulder and leading him to the door.
As Shay entered the back room, Max grinned. She stood up and grabbed him, pulling him into a hug.
"Great to see you" she told him.
Shay hugged her back, then took a seat, glancing over at Alec, who was leaning in the doorway.
"Don't ask me" he commented. "First thing she did when she saw me was yell. Consider yourself lucky."
Shay laughed.
"How would you know?" Max retaliated, glaring at him "You were unconscious."
"only way you could ever beat me."
"Shut up" Mole commented. Max and Alec turned to glare at him "What? You say it to me all the time. I can't say it to you too?"
Max shrugged. "Where's Storm? We need to get this started."
"Here" Storm entered the room. "Just waiting for the fireworks to calm down."
"Shay, tell us what happened." He looked at Max, and nodded, then slowly began to speak, telling everything he could remember, from finding Alec lying in the tunnel, to being grabbed from behind, then waking up in a small room.
Max looked over at Alec. He nodded, understanding what she wanted him to ask. "Did you see Tim" he asked
"No" Shay shook his head. "I didn't see anyone but two guards. Do you think he could have been there too?"
"Maybe. Do you remember the location?" he asked, leaning forward.
"Yeah, I think I could find it again. There was a high fence surrounding it."
Dix slid a map across the table.
Shay ran his finger along some roads on the map, trying to remember where he had gone. "Here" he said, finally, pointing to an old factory. "I think this is it."
"Alec?" Max spoke.
"On it" he stood quickly, glancing at the map, committing it to memory, before leaving the room. Mole followed him.
"Lets do this" Alec told Mole. He grinned in anticipation. "Right."
Mole gestured to four transgenics who were leaning against the wall. They wandered over. "This is Renny, Travis, Matthew and Garrett. They're the ones Dix nominated as team leaders."
Alec nodded, shaking hands with the four of them. "Right. We're sending out a mission tonight, recon, and rescue. The target is a familiar warehouse." The four of them grinned.
"Lets start discussing details, then, shall we?"
"It's good to have you back, 692" spoke one of the transgenics
"Yeah" the other one commented. "Max'll be real happy. We thought you were all dead" Shay's heart sank. No-one else had gotten out but Max? man, it was worse than he thought. He pulled the brim of his cap down lower over his eyes.
"Tell me something" he asked quietly. "Did the mission succeed? Did Max get the virus out?"
"Yeah" the first guy nodded. "It's not going to be an issue. Listen, you better go find her, let her know you're okay."
Shay nodded. He really did want to see Max, but. "Where is she? Any idea?"
"Probably at HQ. She's starting to put together a transgenic army"
"Why? What does she need an army for?"
"Revenge" put in the second one, grinning. "She's pretty pissed off with the familiars after that mission. Think she wants to end the problem, and fast."
Shay nodded. "Listen, I've got some stuff to do, then I'll go check in with Max."
the guards nodded.
He walked away, feeling complete and utter desperation. Max was the only one who had gotten out? The others were all dead? Storm, Tim, Ray? Alec? God, it just wasn't worth thinking about. He walked through TC, trying to imagine the place without his friends. No Storm and Tim to mess around with, play-fight in the carpark. No Alec. Shay walked to Alec's apartment without realising it, then he shrugged, and climbed the steps to his friend's old apartment.
Alec left HQ , his head spinning. Things just kept going wrong. Everything was such a mess. He'd give anything to find his friends, do anything. it wasn't that he was being selfish, not wanting Max to talk to Logan. It was more that he just didn't trust him. as bad as things seemed right now, they could get worse. Far worse. Logan could, and would, betray them at the first opportunity. As bad as it would be to lose Shay and Tim, it would be far worse to see Freak Nation destroyed around him.
"Hey, Alec" Alec looked up and smiled vaguely at the guy talking to him. he looked sort of familiar. He was carrying a rifle, which meant that he had been pulling guard duty.
"Good night?" he asked him.
"Yeah, pretty quiet." The guard replied. "Hey, its great to have Shay back, huh?"
"What??" Alec grabbed him. "What did you say?'
"Shay. He came back a few hours ago. Jumped the fence. Haven't you seen him yet?"
"No. are you sure it was Shay?" Alec felt his heart start to race.
"Yeah, of course."
"Well, what did he say? Was he okay?"
"he said he had some stuff to take care of, then he was going to HQ"
Alec grinned. "Tell Max, okay?" He tapped him on the shoulder to thank him and turned away. Shay was okay. Something was finally going right.
He walked quickly, almost running, to the building Shay had been staying in, going via the parking lot in case he was there. Shay wasn't in his apartment. Where else would he be? Alec's own apartment, maybe, or Storm's? he might have gone there to find them, particularly at 3am. Of course that's what he would have done. If it was Alec, the first thing he would do would be to check on his friends.
"Shay?" Alec called as he entered his apartment. He caught sight of Shay standing by the window, looking out over the city.
When he heard his name, Shay turned, stunned. "I thought. I thought you were dead" Shay spoke quietly. The last time he had seen him he was lying on the ground, bleeding, and not moving. He had looked dead.
"Yeah, same here. I thought the same thing." Alec crossed the room to stand in front of Shay, putting his hand on Shay's shoulder. "You okay?" he asked him, even as he looked him over, checking for injuries
Shay nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. You?"
"Always" Alec grinned at him. "I still want Neil to check you out though, okay?"
"fine, but I'm okay. Tell me about the others, what happened?"
"Later. We'll need a full debrief. You're really okay?"
"the guards, I thought they said that everyone had died, except Max."
Alec sighed. "We lost Tim, and Ray. We'll do this later, okay?"
Shay nodded. "Come on" Alec told him, putting his arm around his shoulder and leading him to the door.
As Shay entered the back room, Max grinned. She stood up and grabbed him, pulling him into a hug.
"Great to see you" she told him.
Shay hugged her back, then took a seat, glancing over at Alec, who was leaning in the doorway.
"Don't ask me" he commented. "First thing she did when she saw me was yell. Consider yourself lucky."
Shay laughed.
"How would you know?" Max retaliated, glaring at him "You were unconscious."
"only way you could ever beat me."
"Shut up" Mole commented. Max and Alec turned to glare at him "What? You say it to me all the time. I can't say it to you too?"
Max shrugged. "Where's Storm? We need to get this started."
"Here" Storm entered the room. "Just waiting for the fireworks to calm down."
"Shay, tell us what happened." He looked at Max, and nodded, then slowly began to speak, telling everything he could remember, from finding Alec lying in the tunnel, to being grabbed from behind, then waking up in a small room.
Max looked over at Alec. He nodded, understanding what she wanted him to ask. "Did you see Tim" he asked
"No" Shay shook his head. "I didn't see anyone but two guards. Do you think he could have been there too?"
"Maybe. Do you remember the location?" he asked, leaning forward.
"Yeah, I think I could find it again. There was a high fence surrounding it."
Dix slid a map across the table.
Shay ran his finger along some roads on the map, trying to remember where he had gone. "Here" he said, finally, pointing to an old factory. "I think this is it."
"Alec?" Max spoke.
"On it" he stood quickly, glancing at the map, committing it to memory, before leaving the room. Mole followed him.
"Lets do this" Alec told Mole. He grinned in anticipation. "Right."
Mole gestured to four transgenics who were leaning against the wall. They wandered over. "This is Renny, Travis, Matthew and Garrett. They're the ones Dix nominated as team leaders."
Alec nodded, shaking hands with the four of them. "Right. We're sending out a mission tonight, recon, and rescue. The target is a familiar warehouse." The four of them grinned.
"Lets start discussing details, then, shall we?"